HURRICANE FRANCES VISITS THE SANCTUARY

When the rains started the kids started moving in.  Kennels and crates were put up in each room and then some dogs were put in rooms without kennels.  The 10 or so that are best of friends were allowed to roam throughout the open rooms of the house.  In the beginning to them it was like a playday.
Adonis the tiniest member of our family was the worst - he thought he should be able to tell everyone what to do and had no problem trying.  He was finally put on lockdown on a chest carrier that he rides in. Adonis is 1 pound 13 ounces - I made a big typo on picture.
Amari was calm as can be and was only interested when food was put in her bowl - she got along well with the others.  I was going to crate her but was afraid she would regress in her progress so followed my heart and just let her roam about.  She handled it all well - would come up for a pat every now and then - smelled all the animals but was very calm - mostly laying and watching everyone.
The one thing that did catch her attention for a few seconds was a cage full of chicks - she did not know what they were - stared at them for a bit then moved on.
Amari and Mignonne got some playtime alone on the bed and they were too cute - I was happy to see her interaction and gentleness with the tinies in the house.
Baisers just wanted to be left alone as if she could sleep though it all - or take a nap and it would all be over.
Bam Bam one of our new babies was nervous at first - her and the three other young ones were in a room - she calmed down shortly though when she saw everyone just laying around.
Payne loves the little ones and jumped on the bed to comfort them.
Amari and Buddy took a walk around the living room for some exercise as it did get a bit nerve wracking in the house just waiting.  We tried to exercise all animals during breaks in the storm but I know they will be glad to get our of their cages and kennels.
We kept about 12 bowls of water out at all times - that way when electricity went out we knew we still had water for animals.
Buddy and the pups bear - somehow he found comfort with it.
Friends brought their animals here so they and their children could go to a shelter.  This little guy has no idea why he is in a cage nor why there are so many animals running about.
Champ was resident in our master bath and stayed calm throughout the storms.
Chi and the younger dogs were good - they wanted out to play as they were in a smaller room but they kept it together and acted like real troopers.
Begging to go out they soon gave up and slept.
Mignonne checked out the chickens and I think it was commonly agreed by both that they would be long distance friends.
The chickens were cramped but they handled it well - I think they were just thankful not to be out in the storm.
China was resident in the office - she slept through most of it and when we would come in to send messages out that we were fine she would demand tons of attention.
Throughout the days everyone took turns on the couch - Here is Mignonne  at the end then Kizzy and then Adonis and then Zeus and then Baisers - all watching TV.  Dogs here live in harmony as these are two pitbulls with the three tinies.
We lost out pig pen during the storm and will have to rebuild and were thankful that early in the storm we let them out.
The metal framing was a huge horse and goat shelter - the winds picked it up cement and all and laid it down  and bent the framing like it was nothing- thanks to a neighbor we got the tarps off it so that it would not become air born.  We are thankful that Francis gave us many opportunities to go out and take care of things like this.
These poor guys in their crates - both our dogs and friends or neighbors dogs were locked in - Machiko was separated from her pups as she got nervous with all the dogs and was growling at the pups
Here is Daffy Duck in the middle of all the caged dogs - he handled the storms well and only was interested when he was getting his food.
Guigi and Soleil resided in one of the bathrooms - Guigi was probably the biggest problem as he wanted out with everyone - he gets a bit too rowdy though and we felt he was better in a closed room.  Soleil is our deaf baby - her and guigi are inseparable - Soleil was one of the eight girls rescued up in Tampa last year when we took the RV up with our five and rescued these 8 when they were about 9 weeks old.
Jack our meanest dog here at the Sanctuary spent his time well - he has a lot of health issues and bites everyone when trying to treat him but these few days in a crate he was an angel.
Payne spent a lot of time in the bedroom with the little ones - he is very protective of them and they in turn love him to death.
Kizzy and Zeus getting their exercise.  Kizzy spent a lot of time going from the tinies to the pups in the playpen - licking and comforting everyone.  She is the Sanctaury Mother around here.
Lex spent her time in a kennel - coming out for exercise - unfortunately since she is one that we always leave out it was hard for her.  She and Amari have developed a very good friendship and Lex had to be crated as she wanted to play too much with Amari and was getting the other dogs excited.  She was godo though and made it through the storm without so much as a complaint.
Little Lizette is hyper as well and had to stay in a kennel except for exercse.
Maggie just found a box in a closet and decided to hunker in there until the end.
Adonis being so young found entertainment in everything - again that is why in the end he was on lockdown in my chest carrier.
Even I had to sleep during the storm - but not without several deciding to nap with me.
After 20 hours or so the animals I think just wanted it over as we did - Payne would get up and pace and then lay down - Baisers stayed close to him as if he would block it all.
Sassy and Oink were happy running about and during the breaks in the storm I would go out to make sure they were fine.
The pups were the least concerned as anyone.  They woke up to eat and then would go back to sleep.
Payne became very nervous during the last of it all.  He would sniff the air and whine - and we knew it was going to be rough and it was - he finally came over to me and buried his head in me and would not move nor let me move.  I told him it was ok even the biggest had a right to be a mommies boy
Rocky was a doll - he did whatever he was told and was calm through the whole thing.
Sassy - due any day - was pleased to be out of her pen - she would come to the screen door every so often and oink at me to let me know she was fine.
Toby had to be crated - he gets a bit anxious and we felt him better in a kennel but he did very well.
Mignonne, Adonis, Baisers, Kizzy and Zeus watching the storms through the living room window.
Zeus thought he could bark away the winds but soon learned that it was not going to work so watched anxiously.
Adonis was let out of his kennel with a promise to be good - which of course he did not honor - he immediately went to find his favorites
Finally everyone was able to go out - with no electricity for hours it was hot in the house - with cool breezes we made the decision to let everyone out - It was amazing to watch them.  Sometimes like humans - running to make sure that their things were ok - for Payne he went immediately to the pig pen to find it demolished and hung his head - then they saw him and made noise and he took off to the field they were in and they reunited laying by the fence for a very long time - talking about what I have no idea - but I am sure Payne told his story about how he got bored with no electricity and no sound except the howling winds and decided to get the whole house singing at 2 am.
Adonis just could not help himself - trying to mess with everyone - picking on everyone  - messing with Zeus who only wanted to sleep after Paynes singing and the sounds of the storm.
After all the big dogs were out playing and running around the little ones seemed almost lost with empty rooms and no noise.
Everyone ran around and chased each other - three days of being locked up was just too much.
Frances might have left the house alone but made her presence known in the fields - this is the horse pasture and goat pasture - their shelters were ripped out of the ground and turned over.
Our tied down pallets were ripped apart except for one - but all is still fine - as long as the animals were fine I did not care what damage Francis did - she must have understood - she made her presence  known and left all the animals untouched.
Houses blown about - pig pen down - and rear end of trailer blown into it all.
Roof to pig shelter down in the middle and a pool torn up and blown into pig pen.
The horse and goats were glad to be together - they are truly inseparable - wherever Dancer goes the goats follow - it is too funny to watch them.  And with that we said goodbye to Francis and told her that although she did visit to please not feel free to come again.
While we began clean-up and repair Kizzy entertained Machiko's pups...all tried to nurse on her and bit on her ears and her tail - she of course loved it ans kept them entertained while we cleaned their play pen and got ready to put them up.
James fixed fencing on kennels and helped get stuff out of yards that was blown in - he also spent the day hauling out the damaged shelters so we can rebuild.
Sherry worked outside cleaning the yards and then came inside to help with the clean-up.  With so many animals in the house it needed a strong cleaning.
We thank everyone who helped during he hurricane - the neighbors who rushed out to help us get things under control when they started flying about - risking the storm and working with us side by side -  and then a very special thank you to Heidi Lopez and her family - they had asked to adopted the three little doxie girls.  The application process had been completed and we told them that yes they could have them.  We did not expect to hear from them until after the storm.  She called and said she was worried about the girls and could they come and get them.  They drove way out of the way, on their way to Tampa to escape the storm, and picked the little girls up at 10:00 p.m.  Such commitment to a pet surely made me realize that these were the best parents for these little girls.  Also a special thanks to Indian Trace Animal Hospital.  Our wolf was at Indian Trace for heartworm treatment  and then on his way to his new home with Natalie.  He was to have been picked up on Saturday.  Needless to say Saturday came and went.  But Indian Trace left us a message telling us not to worry that he was welcomed to stay there as long as necessary.

Although there is damage to the Sanctuary we plan to move forward with the plans for our community clinic on the 25th of September - due to the storm the clinic is as much a necessity as it is a project we do.  We just pray that we can get enough supplies to reach the community and do what we need to do.  Funds reserved from adoptions for the clinic will have to be put into the clean up and rebuild of those things damaged by the hurricane.  If you would like to donate funds for the clinic, medications or front-line plus please contact pdorsey@sanctuaryanimalrefuge.org